Singapore prioritises climate change response initiatives

In an increasingly volatile world, a Singaporean official stressed the need to prioritise building a climate-ready Singapore now, and prepare infrastructure, businesses and people today to be resilient in a climate-impaired future.

Singapore (VNA) – Protecting Singapore from climate impacts will be a major focus for the country’s Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) in 2026, with a suite of new initiatives to address threats ranging from unbearable heat to rising seas.

These initiatives include girding coastlines against rising sea levels and strengthening Singapore’s food security, Singaporean Minister of Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu said on March 3.

More funds will also be invested in research that will deepen the understanding of how heat affects people and facilitate the development of novel cooling solutions, she added.

The total expenditure of the MSE for the financial year (FY) 2026 is projected to be 3.69 billion SGD (2.88 billion USD), down from the 4.21 billion SGD in FY 2025.

Fu said the MSE will be designating 2026 as the Year of Climate Adaptation, and outlined the various initiatives that will be implemented on this front. It involves a comprehensive review of adaptation measures across key domains such as heat resilience, coastal and flood resilience, and water and food resilience,.

These measures will be formalised in Singapore’s inaugural national adaptation plan – a report that the country aims to publish in 2027. Countries party to the Paris Agreement are obliged to submit these plans to the UN.

In an increasingly volatile world, she stressed the need to prioritise building a climate-ready Singapore now, and prepare infrastructure, businesses and people today to be resilient in a climate-impaired future.

Meanwhile, Singaporean Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Janil Puthucheary said the MSE has set up a new office to spearhead the city state’s efforts in this area.

The Heat Resilience Policy Office will oversee heat management efforts across the country by coordinating action, overseeing research and representing Singapore internationally, he added.

To ensure that the heat office’s action plan is backed by science, a heat resilience research and development (R&D) programme will be launched under Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise 2030 national research masterplan.

Under the programme, the new 40 million SGD “Adapting to Heat Impacts” funding initiative is for research on heat impacts and strengthening various groups’ ability to withstand rising temperatures and reduce heat illnesses./.

VNA